List of The Cosby Show episodes
Encyclopedia
The following is a list of episodes for the NBC
television sitcom, The Cosby Show
. The series aired from September 20, 1984 to April 30, 1992 with 201 episodes produced spanning 8 seasons. (Note: It should not be confused with the subsequent, and similarly named show Cosby
.)
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television sitcom, The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
. The series aired from September 20, 1984 to April 30, 1992 with 201 episodes produced spanning 8 seasons. (Note: It should not be confused with the subsequent, and similarly named show Cosby
Cosby
Cosby is a situation comedy television series broadcast on CBS from September 16, 1996 to April 28, 2000, loosely based on the British sitcom One Foot in the Grave. The program starred Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashād...
.)
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere Season premiere In North America, a season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a given television show. It often airs in September or October, after several months of reruns.-Evaluating the changes:... |
Season finale Season finale A season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program... |
|||
| 1 | 24 | September 20, 1984 | May 9, 1985 | |
| 2 | 25 | September 26, 1985 | May 15, 1986 | |
| 3 | 25 | September 25, 1986 | May 7, 1987 | |
| 4 | 24 | September 24, 1987 | April 28, 1988 | |
| 5 | 26 | October 6, 1988 | May 11, 1989 | |
| 6 | 26 | September 24, 1989 | May 3, 1990 | |
| 7 | 26 | September 20, 1990 | May 2, 1991 | |
| 8 | 25 | September 19, 1991 | April 30, 1992 | |
Season 1: 1984–1985
- All the main characters appeared in all the episodes.
- This season comprised 24 episodes.
- The first season opening creditsOpening creditsIn a motion picture, television program, or video game, the opening credits are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are now usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or sometimes on top of action in the show. There...
featured the Huxtable family playing sports in Central ParkCentral ParkCentral Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
. Two versions of the show's theme song were used in this sequence. A long version of the show's theme was heard in the second and another episode, but a shortened version with a few bars taken out and with a different, though similar, style was used for the rest of the season. The show's theme, titled "Kiss Me", was composed by Stu Gardner and Bill CosbyBill CosbyWilliam Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
.
| Series # | Season # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|
Season 2: 1985–1986
- This season comprised 25 episodes.
- Bill CosbyBill CosbyWilliam Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
, Phylicia RashadPhylicia RashadPhylicia Rashād is an American Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
, Lisa BonetLisa BonetLisa Bonet , also known as Lilakoi Moon, is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Denise Huxtable Kendall on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, and originally starring in its spinoff A Different World.-Early life:Bonet was born in San Francisco, California...
, Malcolm Jamal-Warner, Tempestt BledsoeTempestt BledsoeTempestt Bledsoe is an American actress. She is best known for her childhood role as Vanessa Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
and Keshia Knight PulliamKeshia Knight PulliamKeshia Knight Pulliam is an American actress. She is most recognized for her childhood role as Rudy Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. Currently, she appears as reformed con artist Miranda Lucas-Payne on the TBS comedy-drama Tyler Perry's House of Payne.-Personal life:Keshia...
appeared in all the episodes. - Sabrina Le BeaufSabrina Le BeaufSabrina Le Beauf is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Sondra Huxtable Tibideaux on the NBC situation comedy The Cosby Show...
was absent for nine episodes. - For the second season, the opening credits changed from the Huxtables in the park to a gray room with the cast dancing. The song was changed for the first time keeping the show's theme signature and featured a sort of jazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
tone. Each cast member, in descending age of their characters, dances alongside Cosby as his/her name is shown in the credits. Bill Cosby is seen at the end of the credits "dancing" to the music as the production credits appear and at the end, he quickly turns his head and looks into the camera before the sequence fades to black. Two versions of this theme were also used. Much like the season one theme, both versions of season two's theme song were completely different in sound than the other. The long version featured more of a synth beat than the short. Midway through the season, following her marriage to NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sportscaster Ahmad RashādAhmad RashadAhmad Rashād is an American sportscaster and former professional football player. An All-American running back and wide receiver from Oregon known as Bobby Moore, Rashad was the fourth overall pick in the 1972 NFL Draft, drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals...
, Phylicia Ayers-Allen's name in the opening credits is changed to "Phylicia RashādPhylicia RashadPhylicia Rashād is an American Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
". Producer Caryn Sneider's (who also got married) credit was also changed to read "Produced by Caryn Sneider Mandabach."
| Series # | Season # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|
Season 3: 1986–1987
- This season comprised 25 episodes.
- Bill CosbyBill CosbyWilliam Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
, Malcolm Jamal-Warner, Tempestt BledsoeTempestt BledsoeTempestt Bledsoe is an American actress. She is best known for her childhood role as Vanessa Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
and Keshia Knight PulliamKeshia Knight PulliamKeshia Knight Pulliam is an American actress. She is most recognized for her childhood role as Rudy Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. Currently, she appears as reformed con artist Miranda Lucas-Payne on the TBS comedy-drama Tyler Perry's House of Payne.-Personal life:Keshia...
appeared in all the episodes. - Phylicia RashadPhylicia RashadPhylicia Rashād is an American Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
was absent for two episodes. - Lisa BonetLisa BonetLisa Bonet , also known as Lilakoi Moon, is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Denise Huxtable Kendall on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, and originally starring in its spinoff A Different World.-Early life:Bonet was born in San Francisco, California...
was absent for eight episodes. - Sabrina Le BeaufSabrina Le BeaufSabrina Le Beauf is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Sondra Huxtable Tibideaux on the NBC situation comedy The Cosby Show...
was absent for eleven episodes. - Season three's opening sequence featured the cast dancing to Latin jazzLatin jazzLatin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...
in a gray/blue room. Once again, Bill Cosby is seen at the end of the credits dancing to the music as the production credits appear and at the end, he quickly turns his head and looks into the camera before the sequence fades to black. Two versions of this theme were used. However, the season three theme's long version had some parts cut, instead of a differently composed version of that theme. - Phylicia RashādPhylicia RashadPhylicia Rashād is an American Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
was pregnant throughout much of this season, so the crew hid her stomach for most of the season, using such devices as staging the character standing behind the kitchen counter or lying in bed under the covers.
| Series # | Season # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|
Season 4: 1987–1988
- This season comprised 24 episodes.
- Bill CosbyBill CosbyWilliam Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
, Phylicia RashadPhylicia RashadPhylicia Rashād is an American Tony Award winning actress and singer, best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
, Malcolm Jamal-Warner, Tempestt BledsoeTempestt BledsoeTempestt Bledsoe is an American actress. She is best known for her childhood role as Vanessa Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show....
and Keshia Knight PulliamKeshia Knight PulliamKeshia Knight Pulliam is an American actress. She is most recognized for her childhood role as Rudy Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. Currently, she appears as reformed con artist Miranda Lucas-Payne on the TBS comedy-drama Tyler Perry's House of Payne.-Personal life:Keshia...
appeared in all the episodes. - Geoffrey OwensGeoffrey OwensGeoffrey Owens is an American actor. He currently teaches an acting class at HB Studio in New York City.-Roles:...
was absent for sixteen episodes. - Sabrina Le BeaufSabrina Le BeaufSabrina Le Beauf is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Sondra Huxtable Tibideaux on the NBC situation comedy The Cosby Show...
was absent for seventeen episodes. - In the fourth season, the opening sequence featured the cast dancing happily to vocal funk/jazz. The vocals were sung by Bobby McFerrinBobby McFerrinRobert "Bobby" McFerrin, Jr. is an American vocalist and conductor. He is best known for his 1988 hit song "Don't Worry, Be Happy". He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner.-Life:...
. Bill Cosby is seen at the end of the credits dancing to the music as the producer credits appear and at the end, he quickly turns his head, takes off his top hat and looks into the camera before the sequence cuts to black. Unlike the first three seasons, the opening credits featured the cast wearing some formal '30s-style clothing with Bill Cosby wearing a top hat and tails, Tempestt Bledsoe wearing a NavyNavyA navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
uniform similar to what performers would wear when performing to the troops in the USO. Malcolm-Jamal Warner wore a business suit and is seen looking at his watch then starts tapping his feet, etc. Geoffrey Owens (Elvin Tibideaux) is introduced to the regular cast by Cosby leading him into Sabrina LeBeauf's credit scene, symbolizing Heathcliff Huxtable "giving away" his daughter Sondra to her new husband. Before the producer credits appear, Bill Cosby is briefly seen holding a picture of Lisa Bonet (Denise). Bonet does not appear as a regular this season, having departed for the spinoff series, A Different World.
| Series # | Season # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|
Season 5: 1988–1989
- This season comprised 26 episodes.
- The opening sequence in the fifth season featured the cast dancing on a veranda in Caribbean-style clothing, to music performed by the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. This opening credit sequence, choreographed by Geoffrey HolderGeoffrey HolderGeoffrey Richard Holder is a Trinidadian actor, choreographer, director, dancer, painter, costume designer, singer and voice-over artist.-Early life:...
, is the only one during the series' entire run that featured the whole cast dancing together. There is only one version of the theme used for this season, much like in season four. There is no closing theme version of this orchestration of the theme, instead a funk/jazz version of the theme was used as the closing theme this season. - The closed captioning this season is said to be made possible by MetLife and NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
| Series # | Season # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|
Season 6: 1989–1990
- This season comprised 26 episodes.
- In the opening sequence for Seasons 6 and 7, the cast danced on a stage whose backdrop displayed the marquee of the Apollo TheaterApollo TheaterThe Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous, and older, music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Black performers...
in Harlem. A classical jazz arrangement, featuring Craig HandyCraig HandyCraig Mitchell Handy is an American post-bop tenor saxophonist.Born in Oakland, California, Handy attended North Texas State University from 1981 to 1984, and following this played with Art Blakey, Wynton Marsalis, Roy Haynes, Abdullah Ibrahim, Elvin Jones, Joe Henderson, Betty Carter, George...
on saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, was used for the theme, which sounds very similar to "ShotgunShotgun (song)"Shotgun" is a 1965 single by Junior Walker & the All Stars, produced by Berry Gordy Jr. and Lawrence Horn. It reached number one on the U.S. R&B Singles chart for four non-consecutive weeks and was a Top 10 Pop smash, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100...
" by Junior Walker and the All-Stars. When the credits ended, instead of looking at the camera, Cosby walked off the stage and commented, "This is the best elevator musicElevator musicElevator music refers to instrumental arrangements of popular music designed for playing in shopping malls, grocery stores, department stores, telephone systems , cruise ships, airports, doctors' and dentists' offices, and elevators...
I've ever heard!" This line was cut out of the credits when they were re-used the following year. - The captioning this season is said to be sponsored by Carsey-Werner Productions, MetLife, NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, and The US Department of EducationUnited States Department of EducationThe United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
.
| Series # | Season # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|
Season 7: 1990–1991
- This season comprised 26 episodes.
- The seventh season's credit sequence was to use a mural entitled "Street of Dreams," painted by inner-city youth from the Creative Arts Workshop in Harlem, for the opening credits. The producers wound up discarding the idea when their lawyers said that in order to use the mural they would have to get permission from all 63 young artists first. Instead, the show developed its own mural which combined some of the elements and used many of the colors of the actual one. The owners of the mural threatened to sue and denounced the show for ripping off the children. Carsey-Werner tried to negotiate a settlement with Creative Arts Workshop, but Bill Cosby decided to replace the theme with the 6th season's opening credits. Only four episodes featured the original opening credits, and only a few cities saw this version. In all other areas in first-run and repeats as well as in syndication, only the replaced sequence was used. Lisa Bonet and Joseph C. Phillips were in the credits still but they only appeared in less than a handful of episodes during the season. New cast member Erika AlexanderErika AlexanderErika Alexander is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Pam Tucker on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, and as Maxine Shaw on the FOX sitcom Living Single. She has won numerous awards for her work on Living Single, including two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a...
was featured in the original Season 7 sequence, but only her name and role is listed in the replacement sequence. The spoken phrase "This is the best elevator music I've ever heard!" was removed as well in the intro, except for one episode in 1991. - Throughout this season, Cosby was often seen wearing a small black button with the letters "SD Jr." - a tribute to Sammy Davis, Jr.Sammy Davis, Jr.Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
, who died in May 1990.
| Series # | Season # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|
Season 8: 1991–1992
- This season comprised 25 episodes.
- The mural "Street of Dreams," painted by inner-city youth from the Creative Arts Workshop in Harlem, was finally used full-time in season eight. The cast now danced in the sequence to a Hip-Hop blend that featured Lester BowieLester BowieLester Bowie was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the AACM, and cofounded the Art Ensemble of Chicago.-Biography:...
on trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
. The scenes of Bonet and Phillips in the original opening sequence were removed. After the controversy from the previous season, the producers gave recognition to the painters of the original mural in the closing credits. Malcolm-Jamal Warner wore glasses in this set of opening credits, but not in any episodes. At the end of the sequence, like he did in other seasons, Cosby turns his head and looks into the camera. A few episodes from season 7 used this opening, albeit with Lisa Bonet and Joseph C. Philips in the opening credits, and at the end of the sequence, Bill Cosby would walk off and say, "Yo, chill out! Don't put your face in the mud, Pally!". - The final episode "And So We Commence" features an extended sequence, with clips of each cast member dancing from the opening credits of every season (except Season 1, which did not have dancing in the opening credits).
- A running gagRunning gagA running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
throughout this season involves the house's front doorbellDoorbellA doorbell is a signaling device typically placed near a door. Most doorbells emit a ringing sound to alert the occupant of the building to a visitor's presence, when the visitor presses a button. Many modern doorbells are electric — they are actuated by an electric switch...
, which malfunctions in a variety of bizarre ways despite Cliff's attempts to fix it.
| Series # | Season # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|
External links
- List of The Cosby Show episodes at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...